The invention relates to materials for inhibiting the adhesion of damp, ore-containing earth to metal surfaces of ore transport carriers in mining applications.
One of the principal causes of delays and down-time in the mining of natural ores is the necessity of removing, from the working metal surfaces of ore transport carriers, an adherent accumulation of damp earth.
In order to remove the damp earth, it is ordinarily necessary to shunt the carriage onto a separate servicing track, during which time such rolling stock remains idle and unproductive.
In an attempt to suitably condition the surfaces of the transport carriages to facilitate the removal of the earth, certain anti-adhesive compositions have been evolved. Principal among these have been solutions of alkaline metals as well as various waste products, such as those resulting from the oxysynthesis of alcohols and the refining of petroleum. To date, none of such materials have proved satisfactory for the intended anti-adhesion purposes, and in the case of the solutions of alkaline metals have been found to have a corrosive effect on the metal surfaces of the carriage.